Requirements for Admission
For
general admission requirements, please select from
the appropriate categories below:
More information:
-
Transfer students, please see our transfer requirements.
-
International students, please see our international section.
- Admissions Appeals
- Applicants should also refer to the UIS
Catalog and your intended
degree program to see any special requirements
for admission.
- For further information, contact the Office of Admissions or request information online.
Freshman Applicants
The best qualified of each years' pool of applicants
to the University of Illinois at Springfield will 
be
admitted as space permits. Admissions decisions will be made,
and official notifications mailed, on a rolling basis
(biweekly timeline).
Merit scholarships are available for high achieving applicants and awarded upon admission. Questions about scholarships other than these merit awards should be directed the Office of Financial Assistance.
- Evaluation Criteria
- The Honors Program
- Other Undergraduate Applicants
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
College preparatory curricula and academic coursework
Students should pursue rigorous and challenging college preparatory curricula. Grade trends and the rigor of courses completed throughout high school will be considered. Minimum academic coursework requirements are:
- Four years of academic English with emphasis on written and oral communication and literature.
- Three years of social studies with emphasis on history and government (additional acceptable courses include anthropology, economics, geography, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology).
- Three years of college preparatory mathematics, selected from Algebra, geometry, advanced Algebra, pre-calculus, trigonometry and calculus.
- Three years of laboratory science, selected from biology, chemistry, geology, physical science, astronomy and physics.
- Two years of one foreign language, or two years of fine arts, selected from art, music, dance, and theater
*students who are lacking some of these requirements may be conditionally admitted, provided they can complete the requirements prior to enrollment at UIS.
Standardized test scores, grade point average, and class rank
The following credentials will be considered:
- Class rank
- Grade Point Average
- ACT or SAT scores. We will consider ACT or SAT test scores that are posted on an official high school transcript (enclosed with your application) or if you send a photocopy of your test score report with your application. To have scores reported to us from ACT, use our ACT institution code of 1137; for SAT, the code is 0834.
Applicants
must provide written evidence of their ability to perform
at a high academic level by submitting a personal and
academic statement.
The personal and academic statement should be viewed as an applicant's opportunity to speak on his or her own behalf. The statement should address any circumstances (positive or negative) that may have affected the applicant's high school experience and that are not readily apparent from academic records or standardized test scores.
Generally, the personal and academic statement should be approximately 500 to 750 words and should reflect the applicant's best work - structure, accuracy, and overall quality will be considered. UIS would like two specific topics addressed in an applicant's statement:
-
Personal Statement
This is an applicant's chance to tell us about themselves. Describe interests and accomplishments which are not indicated elsewhere on the application. -
Academic Statement
Tell us more about professional aspiration, intellectual interests, and personal experiences relevant to the choice of a specific academic program at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
The Honors Program
The Honors program is a selective program combining high standards and an emphasis on excellence with a small, residential college model. We are currently enrolling about 100 freshmen each year. As an Honors Student you will participate in an interdisciplinary core curriculum designed to prepare you for your major as well as to introduce you to those intellectual skills that society expects from future leaders.
Each
of the courses in the core curriculum is integrated with the rest
so that together they will provide a broad understanding of the world
before you. Many courses are inter-disciplinary, exposing you to the
views of scholars from several disciplines. Each course will include
topics and draw on authors that reflect the ethnic, racial, and gender
diversity of America, and also the broader cultural diversity that
exists in the world.
Honors students participate in learning teams for many course assignments, not only learning the assigned material, but also how to participate effectively as a member of a team. The curriculum-wide focus on collaborative learning emphasizes leadership as an integral aspect of collaboration.
Students interested in applying to the Honors Program will be asked to submit additional credentials. Please indicate your interest at the appropriate question of the application.
Visit the web site for complete information about the Capital Scholars Honors Program for first-year students.
Other Undergraduate Applicants
Applicants with 30 or more semester hours and a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale from any regionally accredited institution of higher education by the North Central Association or any of the seven regional accrediting organizations may be admitted.
These applicants are encouraged to have completed some or all of the 39 hours of required general education courses prior to admission at UIS. (See General Education Requirements)
Remedial or developmental courses are not applicable to admission requirements.
Graduates of regionally accredited Illinois community colleges holding an associate of arts or associate of science transfer degrees are considered to have met all general education requirements. Requests for exceptions should be directed to the Office of Admissions. An official transcript from each institution attended must also be submitted.
Applicants with significant life experience who have little or no college coursework complete are encouraged to consider the Alternative Admission Program.
(more
information)
Students must complete an application to the university and have official transcripts submitted to the Office of Admissions. Full admission to graduate studies may be granted to students who have earned a baccalaureate degree with a minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale from any regionally accredited institution of higher education by the North Central Association or any of the seven regional accrediting organizations and who have met all specific program requirements and prerequisite courses.
Programs may require
higher grade-point averages. Programs may grant conditional
admission to persons with less than the required GPA with the additional
requirement of completing eight semester hours of courses at UIS
(exclusive of prerequisites) with a grade-point average
of at least 3.00. If
conditional admission is granted, the program will
specify which courses must be completed.
(more
information)
Students must complete an application and submit it to the Office of Enrollment Services. The non-degree student generally will not be encouraged to take more than four hours each term.
Students who have not earned a bachelor degree (or its US equivalent) will be classified as Undergraduate Non-Degree and should apply using the Undergraduate Non-Degree Application. Students who have earned a bachelor degree (or its US equivalent) will be classified as Graduate Non-Degree and should apply using the Graduate Non-Degree Application.
The undergraduate non-degree student will be asked for clarification of his/her status before exceeding 16 hours; the graduate non-degree student before exceeding 12 hours.